Unionhilfswerk

Unionhilfswerk is a major German non-profit social welfare organisation headquartered in Berlin. It was founded in 1947 by Christian and socially engaged women and men around the Christian Democrats Jakob Kaiser and Ernst Lemmer, in response to the hardship and suffering of post-war Berlin. From its beginnings in voluntary engagement, it has grown into one of the largest social providers and employers in Berlin, with over 3,000 employees and roughly 900 to 1,400 volunteers supporting nearly 5,500 people every day. The organisation operates as a group (Verbund) consisting of an umbrella foundation (Stiftung Unionhilfswerk Berlin), a registered association (Unionhilfswerk Landesverband Berlin e.V.), eight non-profit companies (gemeinnützige Gesellschaften), and a funding foundation (Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung). Together these entities run more than 130 facilities, services, and projects across Berlin and Brandenburg. Its services cover a broad spectrum of social work: outpatient and inpatient care, support for people with disabilities and mental illness, youth and family welfare, homeless assistance including cold-weather emergency shelters, refugee aid, kindergartens, counselling, mentoring, and educational programmes such as palliative geriatrics and palliative care training. Unionhilfswerk is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, Landesverband Berlin e.V., a major umbrella organisation for non-profit welfare associations in Germany. Its work is guided by Christian and social responsibility, aiming to provide help for self-help. The organisation also emphasises sustainability, environmental protection, and social justice in its operations. Since 2022, the organisation's headquarters has been located in the new "Dienstleistungs.Campus" on Schwiebusser Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg, after previously being based at the Ernst-Lemmer-Haus in Friedrichshain from 1997 to 2021. The Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung, founded in 2004, focuses on palliative geriatrics, hospice work, and mobility for people with disabilities, and awards the Richard-von-Weizsäcker-Journalistenpreis (formerly the Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung prize) for journalism on dying, death, and grief.

Unionhilfswerk was founded in 1947 in Berlin by Christian and socially engaged women and men, including the Christian Democrats Jakob Kaiser and Ernst Lemmer, in response to the great hardship of the post-war period. Its founding purpose was to provide social help out of Christian responsibility, a principle that continues to guide the organisation today. Voluntary engagement was the foundation of its creation and has remained a long tradition. Over the decades, Unionhilfswerk grew into one of Berlin's largest social welfare providers. In 1997, it moved its headquarters to the Ernst-Lemmer-Haus on Richard-Sorge-Straße in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, where it remained until 2021. In 2004, the Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung (funding foundation) was established, focusing on palliative geriatrics and hospice work as well as the mobility of people with disabilities. Since 2006, the foundation has awarded a journalism prize for contributions dealing with dying, death, and grief; in 2012 the prize was renamed the Richard-von-Weizsäcker-Journalistenpreis in honour of the politician Richard von Weizsäcker, who died in 2015. The prize is awarded every two years by an independent jury chaired by former EKD council chairman Wolfgang Huber and is endowed with a total of 10,000 euros. In 2014, the Stiftung Unionhilfswerk Berlin was founded as the umbrella organisation for the non-profit companies. By this time, the group had grown to include multiple companies providing a wide range of social services. In 2022, the headquarters moved to the new "Dienstleistungs.Campus" on Schwiebusser Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Today, Unionhilfswerk is a Verbund (group) consisting of the Stiftung Unionhilfswerk Berlin (umbrella foundation), the Unionhilfswerk Landesverband Berlin e.V. (state association), eight non-profit companies, and the Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung. The group operates more than 130 facilities, services, and projects, employs over 3,000 staff, and engages roughly 900 to 1,400 volunteers. It supports nearly 5,500 people daily, including people with disabilities, people with mental illness, children and youth, the elderly and those in need of care, homeless people, and refugees. The organisation is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, Landesverband Berlin e.V. Its work is guided by Christian and social responsibility, aiming to provide help for self-help, and it emphasises sustainability, environmental protection, and social justice.

• 2022

  Headquarters moved to the new 'Dienstleistungs.Campus' on Schwiebusser Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

• 2014

  Stiftung Unionhilfswerk Berlin founded as the umbrella organisation for the non-profit companies.

• 2012

  Journalism prize renamed Richard-von-Weizsäcker-Journalistenpreis.

• 2006

  Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung begins awarding a journalism prize for contributions on dying, death, and grief.

• 2004

  Unionhilfswerk-Förderstiftung founded, focusing on palliative geriatrics, hospice work, and mobility for people with disabilities.

• 1997

  Headquarters moved to the Ernst-Lemmer-Haus on Richard-Sorge-Straße in Berlin-Friedrichshain.

• 1947

  Unionhilfswerk founded in Berlin by Christian and socially engaged women and men around Jakob Kaiser and Ernst Lemmer.

A Christian and socially motivated non-profit welfare provider offering help for self-help, and one of Berlin's largest social employers.

• Unionhilfswerk Sozialeinrichtungen gGmbH

  Kindergartens, services for people with disabilities and mental illness, mobility assistance services, and central administrative services.

• Unionhilfswerk Soziale Dienste gGmbH

  Youth welfare, homeless assistance, refugee aid.

• Unionhilfswerk Ambulante Dienste gGmbH

  Outpatient care services, shared apartments for people with dementia, contact point for care engagement, visiting service for people with dementia.

• Unionhilfswerk Senioreneinrichtungen gGmbH

  Nursing homes, hospice services, palliative-geriatric projects, central hospice contact point, senior centre.

• Union Sozialer Einrichtungen gGmbH

  Operator of a recognised workshop for people with disabilities, an integration specialist service, and other vocational participation offerings.

• Service Inklusiv gGmbH

  Enables recognised severely disabled people to enter into social insurance-covered employment.

• Bildung, Umschulung, Soziales (BUS) gGmbH

  Education and employment perspectives.

1. 1Unionhilfswerk – Wir sind Wegbegleiterunionhilfswerk.de
2. 2Über uns – Unionhilfswerkunionhilfswerk.de
3. 3Die Gesellschaften – Unionhilfswerkunionhilfswerk.de
4. 4Nachhaltigkeit – Unionhilfswerkunionhilfswerk.de
5. 5Unionhilfswerk – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
6. 6Unionhilfswerk – Wikidatawikidata.org